According to this invention, the lining material is formed by a deep-drawn TPO compact film fixedly arranged on a backing layer, where the backing layer consists of polypropylene particle foam. Such a lining material is sturdy and stable but nevertheless has a low weight. It can be manufactured easily and inexpensively.
According to an advantageous embodiment. of the present invention, the lining material consists of the deep-drawn TPO film, which is foam backed with a rigid polypropylene particle foam after deep drawing.
It is advantageous here that production can be reduced to a single operation and is especially simple and inexpensive, because deep drawing and foam backing can be performed in a single mold. No separate bonding operations are necessary.
Another advantageous embodiment of this invention consists of the fact that the TPO compact film is adhesively bonded to the backing layer by a heat-activated adhesive bond. Thus, the two-layer lining material can be produced easily by simply pressing over the entire area under the influence of temperature.
Another advantageous embodiment of this invention consists of the fact that the TPO compact film has a structured surface. This can easily be accomplished by the embossing the TPO compact film in the mold during deep drawing, which produces a structured surface.
An especially advantageous embodiment of this invention provides for recycled TPO material (also known as TPO regenerate) to be present in both the TPO film and the polypropylene particle foam.
Such recycled TPO material is available at practically no cost as a waste product, and instead of disposing of these waste products, they can be used in an advantageous manner to produce lining materials.
Such a lining material thus forms a product which is made of one class of materials, and such a product can be recycled much more easily than the lining material described in the preamble.
Another advantageous embodiment of this invention consists of the fact that a thin grainy, colored cover film of a fresh TPO mixture is laminated to the top side of the TPO film. It is thus possible to impart the colors desired by consumers to the surface of the lining material.